Little Moments
by Lamp Ally
Summary: Sweet fluffy moments in the lives of Draco and his family.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello! My first foray in fanfic so i'm terribly nervous. Plzzz take the time to review. I'm planning on making it a multi-chap... but only if i get about 5 reviews with something along the lines of "not bad. Can continue". So plz be honest even if you think writing for me is a lost cause..**

 **Little Wisdom**

The soft click of the door opening had Draco immediately alert, hand automatically going towards the wand in his pocket. But he relaxed at the next moment when the unmistakable pitter-patter of little feet reached his ears. The child was obviously trying to be inconspicuous, and he smiled softly to himself as he decided to humour her and remained bent over his work.

A few seconds later, two little hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who?" said a lilting voice, warped in an effort to sound meaner.

Draco chuckled. "That's really hard", he told her. "Why don't you tell me, little belle?"

The child giggled, and then squealed as her father swung her around into his lap. She looked at him reproachfully.

"But Daddy!" she insisted. "I'm not Belle, I was the Beast!"

"Really, kid?" Draco arched an eyebrow at her. "Then who was Belle?"

His daughter looked at him, eyes dancing with pure mischief. "You", she quipped, face a mask of innocence.

"You are so going to regret that, little missy", said Draco, and proceeded to tickle her little belly.

She wiggled around on his lap, laughing until she was breathless.

"Uncle! Uncle! Daddy, no more!" she breathed and Draco relented. She snuggled close to him, pillowing her head on his chest.

Draco sat back in his chair and looked down at his daughter, who was fingering the locket he wore around his neck.

It was a gift from his wife on his last birthday; a custom-made ornament, the silver chain so thin it was almost invisible. The locket was diamond shaped, with the words 'Forever and Always' engraved on the surface in several different languages. It opened to reveal two pictures side by side, the first of them on their wedding day, arms around each other, radiant, content smiles gracing their features; the other was of them cradling their one-year-old daughter, who was making a funny face at the camera. They were the most important women in his life, and he had vowed never to part with them.

He was brought back from his musings by his daughter's voice asking him a question. Of course she was asking him a question! That was a trait she had inherited from her mother, never-ending curiosity.

He looked down at her. "Sorry princess, what did you say?"

She blinked up at him, and repeated her question slowly, as if explaining a particularly difficult concept, "I said, Daddy, why do you wear that chain around your neck all the time?"

He considered what to say for a moment and settled on the truth. He knew his daughter was way beyond her years having the parents she had.

"So that you and your mother always remain with me", he said shortly, knowing perfectly well he had left the field wide open for follow-up questions. The child didn't disappoint.

"But we're not going anywhere", she stated, confusion evident in her voice. That, right there, was another reminder that she was her mother's daughter. Logical and precise, neither of them would leave anything alone until they understood it to the core.

He attempted to explain further. "You know the times when I have to go away for a while?" She nodded and he continued. "Well, at those times, I'm often alone in these dark rooms, keeping watch on a suspect for days on end. I sometimes become very lonely and I miss you so much I feel like quitting my job and coming back to you as fast as I can. Then I look at your pictures in the locket and it gives me the strength to go on. I remember the delight on your faces if I succeed in one of my missions and I'm that much more determined to complete the job."

The girl on his lap had listened attentively as he had poured his heart out. At the end, she nodded sagely, as if she completely understood what he said. "So we are your driving force", she chirped at him.

He blinked at the five-year-old in surprise. "Yes", he agreed. "You are. I wouldn't know what to do without either of you."

"But then what will you do if you accidentally lose it someday?"

The simple query had him pause as he searched for an answer. "I don't really know", he finally admitted. "Why don't you tell me?"

The child's eyes lit up like they did she was telling her parents about something she had found in a book that they didn't know about. "Silly Daddy", she said. "You don't have to know. 'Cause even if you lose that locket, you'll never lose us. We're here, you see", she placed her little hand right over his heart.

"Now come on", she urged, jumping off his lap and pulling him up by his hand, even as he was processing her earlier words. "Mommy said dinner will be ready in a few minutes and she's making lasagne!"

And as his daughter flounced excitedly down the steps, dragging her father behind her, Draco wondered when his little angel had acquired the wisdom that he himself had yet to in his admittedly a lot more years among the living.


	2. Little Knowledge

**A/N: So I didn't get anywhere near 5 reviews for the last one.. but figured I'd post this anyway...but my earlier words still stand. I'm still nervous and reviews are still helpful...**

 **Note: Many, many thanks to Cylloan, my one and only reviewer. Hope you're still interested, though...: P. This one's for you. Answered one of your questions in this, so go, read and enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I'd be over the moon if I owned HP. Since I'm still on earth, I guess I don't... this goes for chapter 1 too...sorry** **..**

 **Little Knowledge**

The library had always been her sanctuary. When her schoolwork needed to be done, when she was bored and needed to while away the time, when she was particularly wired up from something or the other, when she was having a bad day, even when they were preparing for the worst battle wizarding world had seen since the rise of Grindelwald she would find herself hiding away among the books when the pressure sometimes got too much for her.

The one she was sitting in now was one of her favourites and admittedly one of the best she had ever seen and she had seen a considerable number. The fact that it belonged to the home of one of the richest and most influential families in the world had made it privy to many volumes that weren't available to the public and it was these that she loved to pursue. She would often joke that she married her husband solely for access to this heaven full of rare volumes. Of course, her best friends still preferred to believe that or temporary insanity for her marriage but nobody who had seen the couple could even remotely argue the point that they were completely in love with each other.

The young witch picked up her wand and lit a fire in the massive fireplace as it was getting a bit chilly as it approached the evening. She lowered her eyes to the thick tome on her lap "An Ancient History of the Modern Times". It linked many recent events with those that happened a long time ago and also provided a detailed account of how those problems were solved back then comparing them to how they were being dealt with now. She was getting drawn into a very interesting story about none other than the four Hogwarts founders when she heard the heavy oak doors of the library creaking open. It was well past seven o' clock by then so she was surprised when the small figure of her daughter crept in, wrapped snugly in her Beauty and the Beast quilt and clutching a green dragon plushy in her tiny arms.

The child softly made her way to where she sat on a comfortable armchair and held up her arms wanting to be picked up. The witch sighed but complied as her daughter snuggled up to her, burying her face in the crook of her neck.

"What are you doing here at this time of night _amica mea_?" she questioned the girl. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Couldn't sleep", came a muffled sniffle from where the child's face was pressed against her.

The young mother lifted her daughter's face to meet a warm, brown pair of eyes that she had seen many times before, in the mirror.

"You want to tell Mommy what's wrong sweetheart?"

The child's lips quivered. "I miss Daddy", she finally admitted in a small voice. "He's never gone for this long." Here she paused and looked up at her mother with wide eyes filled with panic. "He'll come back, right Mommy?"

There was the question the woman was dreading. Her husband's job demanded that he stay away from home often on an assignment and the constant danger in his field of work ensured that his life was almost always put on the line. Six years of being married had done nothing to lessen the worry or pain and even now she woke up sweating from horrible nightmares.

And now her daughter was asking the same question that she herself asks every time he steps out on a mission.

"Of course he will", she told the child, trying to put as much conviction in her words as possible. "He loves you too much not to. Don't you worry."

"Do you want to hear a story?" she hedged, seeing that the girl still looked unhappy, and immediately knew it was the right thing to say. The child visibly brightened and looked at her with eager eyes."I'd love to, Mommy. What is it about?"

She chuckled inwardly at her daughter's enthusiasm. She had inherited her love of books and was always pestering either of them for one story or another. She had taken only about three years to learn to read properly and from then on a trip to Flourish and Blotts had become customary for the family whenever in Diagon Alley.

"Well", she told her now. "Let's see if you can figure that out by yourself, alright?"

The child nodded and she began. "There was once this really big school for witches and wizards, which a little girl knew nothing about. That is, she knew nothing about it until she received a letter on her eleventh birthday stating that she had been admitted to this school. She was overjoyed as she hadn't even known that magic existed before this. Now she knew that all the weird stuff she had been able to do that other people couldn't, had actually been her magic and not some hallucination."

"Weird stuff like making the candles float, turning Daddy's hair green, accidentally setting Orlan free, making the books on the shelf stick to each other and turning your yucky black ink into purple, Mommy?"

"Well yes, something like that. But if you ever do that again you won't be allowed to read for a day."

She laughed at the child's pouting expression before continuing. "So, as I was saying, this little girl was very excited at the prospect of attaining this school. She knew there would be other people like her there and she would finally have some friends."

"Why didn't she have friends before?"

"Because you see, the other children in her neighbourhood who couldn't do magic were scared of her and didn't want to be friends with her. Also, she loved to read more than going out to play."

"Just like me!"

"Yes, just like you. So, then she went to this school and she got some really good friends and learnt a lot of interesting tricks and spells and read thousands of books from the library. But there was this one boy who always picked on her. He thought he was better than her because he had already known about magic before coming to the school."

"But you can't be better simply because of that! There were many who were in preschool from before I joined but I still knew more than some of them!"

"Yes honey, you're right. But this boy had been taught to believe that since he was little and he was prejudiced. So he continued to torment the girl throughout their school years. Meanwhile, there was this extremely wicked man who used to harm all those around him. He wanted to kill one of the girl's best friends because he was destined to be the one to put an end to the bad wizard's misdeeds. But the girl and her two best friends decided to go out on an adventure to try and weaken the bad wizard by taking away bits of his power. And what an adventure it was! They had to run away from home and battle the bad wizard's men and then go into hiding in a forest. One day, however, they were spotted by the enemies and captured and brought into a very big mansion."

"Like this one?"

"Exactly like this one. It belonged to the family of the boy who used to tease the girl at school. His father and aunt were followers of the bad wizard and wanted to hand over the girl and her friends to their master. But they never got the chance. The boy shocked them all by disarming both his father and aunt and helping the girl and her friends to escape."

"Why? Shouldn't he have wanted to turn them in too?"

"He should have. But he didn't want to. It turned out that he never wanted to follow the dark wizard, but was forced to do so as he had threatened to harm his family if he didn't. But now he wanted to help his childhood enemies to defeat the dark wizard. He proved his loyalty to them by saving them from many other bad situations too as he was a very good duellist and knew a lot about dark spells. Gradually he became an asset to the good team. After a while, the final battle took place in the very school the girl used to attend. The boy once again saved the girl's life from his own father who wanted to kill her. Then the girl's best friend defeated and killed the dark wizard in the Final Battle."

"Because his friends' love and support made him more powerful?"

"That and also the fact that he loved them back."

"Then what happened?"

"Then slowly the girl and the boy who used to tease her became very good friends. Eventually they got married and had a beautiful little girl who they loved very much. Then they lived happily ever after."

As she finished the story, the child in her lap grinned at her. "Mommy, I think I know who the story is about."

"You do? Well, who is it?"

"It's yours and Daddy's story isn't it? And the bad wizard was Voldemort and your best friends were Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron, and the little girl was me! Am I right Mommy? Am I right?"

The witch shook her head and smiled. "You're absolutely right, sweetheart. Now why don't you go back to bed?" she added seeing the child's eye drooping. "It's very late."

"Okay, Mommy", she said, yawning.

The young witch picked up her daughter and headed towards her bedroom. The girl's eyes were already closing as she tucked her into bed. "I love you, Mommy", she murmured, sleepily. "Tell Daddy I love him too and can't wait for him to come home."

A pang of sorrow wrung her mother's heart. "Love you too, angel", she said, kissing her daughter's forehead. "Sleep tight. Daddy will be home before you know it."

Retreating to the door, she watched her little girl sleep peacefully for a moment. She thanked all her heavenly stars daily for bringing her into her life. She was her pride and joy and she couldn't have asked for a better daughter. Or for a better husband either. A husband who was off to some obscure location working on a top secret, high risk, Ministry operation.

Sighing, Hermione Granger-Malfoy closed the door to her daughter's bedroom. "Come back to us soon, Draco", she requested of the empty, echoing darkness surrounding her.

 **There. The mother is revealed. But many of you probably already guessed, didn't you? So long, everybody.**

 **P.S... I have no idea what to name the adorable mini Malfoy. Any suggestions?**

 **Leave that in a review plz...**


	3. Little Fear

**A/N:** **So this idea came to me in the middle of an exam and wouldn't let go until I typed it out. This is actually more of Dramione fluff with a little bit of mini-Malfoy too. Reviews are welcome, be it praise or criticism.**

 **Little Fear**

Hermione was, by nature, a light sleeper. No sooner had the curfew on her bedtime been lifted on coming to Hogwarts than she had either stayed up reading well into the night, or woken up very early to finish a book. The war had also honed her auditory skills to a point where sometimes even the swish of wind outside her window was enough to rouse her. Besides, with Draco away on a mission for much longer than expected, and her daughter asleep in the other room, she was growing more and more antsy with each passing day. She had tried to ignore the dread pooling in her stomach as day after day went by with neither her, nor his office having heard anything from Draco or his team, and each time her brain had nagged her with the worst possible explanation, she had firmly told it to shut up and that this mission was just going to take a bit more time than usual ( Morarty _was_ feared across countries for a reason after all ).

It was therefore, no wonder that when the soft crack of Apparition sounded around five in the morning, she was wide awake in an instant, her wand held ready in her hand.

She knew who it was. She knew that the wards on the Malfoy Manor could not be breached by anyone other than family. But with not all of Voldemort's followers having fallen with him and the number of enemies her husband had managed to make of those remaining, it was only prudent on her part to remain alert. And Hermione was nothing if not prudent.

Wand still held tightly at her side, she quietly made her way downstairs, the plush oriental carpeting muffling her footsteps. Heart hammering, she peeked into the foyer, from where voices could be heard. She could see Binky, their house elf chattering enthusiastically and taking the heavy coat and bag handed to her by a man who had his back to her. She couldn't see his face, but she didn't need to. She would recognize the silvery blond hair and the distinctive voice anywhere. It was him. Draco was back.

Hermione was so overwhelmed by emotions, that for a moment, she couldn't get her feet to move. Draco, being Head Auror of the Elite Task Force and second-in-command to Harry Potter, had a job that was both enviable and dangerous. The Auror department usually chose him for missions where both his brains and his skill and agility on the field could be used. This meant he was mostly chasing cunning and ruthless Death Eaters who were masters of trickery and wouldn't hesitate to kill in the blink of an eye. While Draco could- and did- outsmart them every time, he had to plan and execute each of his moves carefully, following and analyzing his enemy for days on end until he felt ready enough to organize an attack. Each time he went on a mission, Hermione's heart would be at her throat, knowing full well how high the stakes were. Draco himself was never sure how long a particular assignment would take, and the wholesome uncertainty of the process had her anxious and on the edge throughout the time he was gone. And then, there was always the fact that he more often than not got himself injured, because really, he was as much of a self-sacrificing idiot as Harry, however much he insisted otherwise.

Now though, seeing him back, standing on his own two feet, Hermione felt the huge load weighing on her for the last four months lift. Before she knew it, her feet, of their own volition, had carried her towards him in a sprint, and, crying his name, she launched herself into his arms. He staggered a bit under her sudden weight but then steadied them, wrapping his arms tightly around her and burying his face in her hair. She clung to him desperately, running her hands over every inch of his body that was available, reassuring herself that he was truly there, warm and solid in her arms.

Lifting her head, she looked all over his face, searching for any cuts or bruises. His beautiful grey eyes, shadowed by exhaustion, stared back at her, his face otherwise unmarked, and he gave her a knowing smile. "See Mine? Told you I could prevent getting injured if I really tried."

That was her undoing. What little resolve she had holding her together came crashing down at his voice that held so much tender affection. Pulling his head down, she crashed her lips onto his, revelling in the feeling that she had missed for so long. She savoured the familiarity of his lips against hers, his taste, his smell, which were so uniquely _him_ , and she couldn't get enough. All her pent up fear, anger, frustration and _relief_ came pouring into the kiss, and, unbeknownst to her, tears were cascading down her cheeks.

Draco pulled away, and brushed away her tears with his thumbs. "Hey, sweetheart, what's the matter?"

So great was her relief, that she couldn't even form a coherent answer. Neither could she stem her tears. "You're back," she muttered, gazing at him with an almost awed expression, as if she hadn't yet completely comprehended the fact. She ran a tender hand over his face, tracing his brows, his nose, his cheekbones, and finally his lips. "You're back, Draco, but it's been four months...and you're never gone this long...and you were after _Morarty_ , and he was one of Voldemort's elite,... and I had no news of you... I didn't even know where you were, or how you were...I was alone with our daughter...and I was just so _scared..."_ , her voice trailed off, as her body shook with sobs.

Draco's heart ached for his love. He could understand her pain. He could read very well into her broken speech, and knew she was so frightened because she had thought somewhere that she had lost him. He knew Hermione was never one to show her emotions so freely. And any consolation he had to offer would fall flat the minute he walked out on another mission. So he didn't attempt to console her. He just held her tightly and let her vent, until she got the weeks' worth of stress out of her system.

When the tremors had subsided, he lifted her face and looked into the beautiful honey-brown orbs that were swirling with love. It was those eyes that had given him a reason to live so many years ago, and those eyes that made him thankful everyday of his existence. Lowering his head, he captured her trembling lips in his in a kiss that was passionate yet gentle. A kiss of promise.

Hermione felt the emotions in that kiss as if they were her own. She reciprocated eagerly, and couldn't help getting lost in her husband's familiar touch. Somewhere in between, she felt him pick her up, and carry her to their bedroom.

* * *

An hour later, his wife lay contentedly in Draco's arms, as his fingers softly stroked her hair. He kissed the top of her head lightly, and asked the question that had been nagging at him for a few minutes.

"Hermione, how's..."

"Sleeping. She missed you too, you know? So very much. She came up to me last night to make sure you _were_ coming back."

Draco's heart broke for a second time. His little angel thought he wouldn't come back? "Mine, I'm so..."

"Sorry. I know. You shouldn't be. Whatever you do, you do it for us. You do it so we can sleep better at night, knowing we are safe. You do it to make sure a thousand other families like us don't lose a loved one. Trust me Draco, we know. And we couldn't be prouder."

And there it was. Sometimes, he wondered how he deserved her. But he sensed this topic of discussion was distressing her, so he changed the subject. "How do you know that was what I was going to ask?"

It had the desired effect. She smiled at him mischievously. "Years of practice", she quipped. "Now tell me exactly what you did to nab the crook of the year."

So, shaking his head fondly, he began telling her about his latest ordeal.

* * *

Towards the middle of his story, Hermione noticed Draco was pausing between words, until he trailed off completely. Light snoring soon followed, indicating he'd fallen asleep. She smiled softly, gently touching the dark circles lining his eyes. The mission had taken its toll, and she had no intention of waking him anytime soon. She herself couldn't go back to sleep, but was content enough to lie in his arms, savouring his presence, after sleeping in a cold bed for so long.

It was after a few minutes, when she was just drifting in and out, that she heard a strangled moan. Knowing what it was, she was immediately wide awake, getting out of bed. Call her paranoid, but she had never really gotten around to lifting the baby monitor charm from her daughter's room, even though she was five and sleeping through the night. She just liked to know immediately if her daughter so much as sniffled during the night. From the sound of things, it didn't appear pleasant this time.

When she pushed open the door, her daughter was sitting up in bed, clutching her blankets tightly, and had a look of absolute horror on her face. Hermione hurried to her side. "What's the matter, love bug?" she asked, opening her arms.

The child launched herself into her embrace, and started to sob full out. "I saw things, Mommy!", she choked out. "I saw bad men in masks, and they were fighting Daddy, and Daddy was winning, but then another man came out from the shadows and attacked him from behind, and he fell down. Daddy fell down, Mommy, and he wasn't getting up! I called and called, but he never opened his eyes, Mommy! He was dead, Mommy! He was dead!" her voice got louder and more panicked with each word, and by the end, she was screaming.

Hermione, appalled that her innocent mind had conjured up such a horrifying nightmare for her, tried soothing her by assuring her that it was just a dream, and her father was alive and completely okay, but the child was inconsolable. She decided that more tangible proof was in order. Gathering the shaking mess of the girl in her arms, she headed towards their own room.

But her actions did not have the desired effect. In hindsight, showing the child the motionless form of Draco lying on their bed just after she'd had a nightmare about him dying wasn't the best idea, but it was better than nothing. She mistook his sleep for something more, and, before Hermione could do anything about it, she had catapulted out of her arms and landed heavily on his middle, screaming even louder than before.

Poor Draco jolted awake, hands blindly searching for his wand, and eyes scanning for threat. Despite the circumstances, Hermione couldn't help being amused. Draco, still disoriented, had an adorably confused look on his face, which was understandable. One moment he was sleeping peacefully, and the next he had an armful of uncontrollably crying daughter!

He looked towards her for an explanation. "Nightmare", she supplied. "She dreamt of your death."

She saw understanding blossoming on his features, along with so much pain that she could physically feel it. Her heart ached for him as she saw him gently pull up his little girl's face and prove to her that he was back, and perfectly okay. It took little effort after that to convince the child that it was just a nightmare and soon her cries were replaced by delighted squeals of joy as she finally realized that her Daddy was back, and smothered him with hugs and kisses. The grin that adorned Draco's face could have lit up a thousand worlds. Hermione smiled as she saw the happy reunion, her heart swelling with affection. She decided to let them have some alone time.

* * *

When she went back upstairs about half an hour later, she was greeted by the loveliest sight imaginable. Father and daughter were asleep, wrapped around each other. Her little arms encircled his neck, her face was buried in his shoulder; his arms were wrapped securely around her small body, his very position reflecting protector. Hermione felt tears pricking her eyes as she watched the two most precious treasures of her life drawing comfort from each other. He was her hero, while she was his anchor, keeping him grounded. She was the delicate little sapling, while he was hardened shade. At that moment, Hermione knew that her heart shouldn't have been capable of so much love.


End file.
